Introducing your Loved ones to COC

by JG 8 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  JG

  How would you try to introduce Crisis of Conscience to your Family. It is so well known as oppostate and immediately brushed off. I would like to get my wife and her family to read COC. They are all searching for something different and I think xdubs really need to understand that many or most of the things the FDS has told them are not of God.

  I think that reading COC and In Search of Christian Freedom would do wonders for them so they could be alittle more open minded about other viewpoints.

  Any Ideas about how to broach the subject and word it??

  Love in Christ,

  Sean
• 

  Valis

  Greetings JG...lemme see if I understand. Your wife and her relatives are current JWs looking to get out or find another religion? If so, then you can use both of Ray's books to help them. First, explain to them that COC is more of a history which you think is important for them to read and understand. Second, tell them Ray is still a Christian, which gives you a segue into In Search of Christian Freedom. It they are still good dubbies it might be a little harder, and may require youi to perhaps use it as a reference when you get into a JW related discussion. Hope this helps..

  Sincerely,

  District Overbeer
• 

  Francois

  I'm afraid this is a case of leading a horse to water & etc.

  If their minds are slammed shut, there's nothing you can do but be as loving as you know how whatever they do and let love work its magic.
• 

  BONEZZ

  JG.......Rip the cover off of CoC and replace it with a bright green cover with the new title of, "Make Sure of All Things (revised edition)". Good Luck.

  -BONEZZ
• 

  JG

  Okay, a little more bckground. Wife is going inactive currently, MiL and SiL ae inactive 10 years, but looking for spirituality elsewhere. Mil and Sil are having problems because of what they were taught being raised as dubs. I have told them they need to research the Wt so they can realize they need to look at all things and find what is true.

  But I kinda screwed up and likened it to bigotry and white supremecy, in that if you are taught one thing all of your life and that is all you know then you will believe it. It's a fairly accurate paralell but stupid in that you kinda call them bigots. If you have the chance to say that DONT hehehe it will piss them off.

  never the less, they are all on the way out hopefully. And I'm trying to help them. They are not Closed Minded but they still shy away at those appostate books.

  Sean
• 

  stichione

  Excellent then. Theirs minds are fertile and opened up to reading C of C and Christian Freedom. Present these books as written with an objective point of view with no biast narrating events at the Brooklyn Bethel in the 1960's and 70's (for C of C) and a comprehensive study of Christian Freedom and responsability (for Christian Freedmon).
• 

  queer_reality

  I would suggest starting out with a different book. There are many out there. Steven Hassans' first book Combatting Cult Mind Control is informative but never specifically mentions the JWs. Even JWs say cults are bad. They are searching for something and this book might help them to spot and avoid some bad groups. If they happen to recognize a group they used to be in that's fine.

  IMHO

  queereality
• 

  jws

  The original post seems like it's saying they're ex-dubs. Is this correct?

  I've had no problem with my family members who are ex-JWs. From my 2 parents who started in it, they lured in other family members (and others born into it). In all, there were 14. 2 died in it and of the other 12, only 3 are still JWs. The rest have all dropped out.

  They've all left for their own reasons, which is why introducing CoC worked with them. My niece left, but still kept feeling guilty, like maybe they're right. I sent her CoC. Recently an aunt made contact after not hearing from her for about 15 years. She dropped out and sounds like her son went apostate and was still bitter about it. I told her about CoC and she ordered copies for herself and her son. Might help explain why they feel like they do and do some healing.

  Bottom line, is if they are ex JWs, they have their own gripe with the WTBS and introducing it may not be that hard. For current JWs, I honestly can't say. My dad won't get near any of that stuff. And you run the risk of being shunned by introducing it.

  One thing I thought of mentioning was the whole 1914 chapter. How they proposed the genea explaination for generation back in the 70's (or was it early 80's) and it wasn't until 1994 that that was adopted. I thought that would strike up an interest. Like, how did an "apostate" know about genea not being a lifetime before we as JWs collectively "realized" it? Then it would lead to further questions, like, was this really proposed way back then? And why didn't the governing body realize it was the truth way back then, if they are really directed by God? Maybe even lead to questioning how the GB actually makes policy. And, luckily, there are chapters on that. (to clarify, I don't believe their twist on genea either - another dodge to buy time)

  I was still a JW when I read it, but inactive. Once I started, I couldn't put it down. It's been years since I've read it. Maybe if you could photocopy a few of the historical parts. The less controversial ones - pages where they aren't being criticized too harshly. Ask them if they want to read it. Might whet their appetite for more.
• 

  JT

  I'm afraid this is a case of leading a horse to water & etc.

  If their minds are slammed shut, there's nothing you can do but be as loving as you know how whatever they do and let love work its magic.

  -------

  excellent points